Preview — Killing Titan
by Greg Bear

Killing Titan

A new planet. A new battle. Same war. After barely surviving his last tour on Mars, Master Sergeant Michael Venn finds himself back on earth in enforced isolation. Through a dangerous series of operations he returns to Mars to further his investigation into the Drifters--ancient artifacts suddenly reawakened on the red planet. But another front in the war leads his team toA new planet. A new battle. Same war. After barely surviving his last tour on Mars, Master Sergeant Michael Venn finds himself back on earth in enforced isolation. Through a dangerous series of operations he returns to Mars to further his investigation into the Drifters--ancient artifacts suddenly reawakened on the red planet. But another front in the war leads his team to make the difficult journey to Saturn's moon, Titan. Here, in the cauldron of war, hides new truths about the Drifters, the origin of life in our solar system and the plans of the supposedly benevolent Gurus, who have been "sponsoring" and supporting humanity in their fight against outside invaders.Killing Titan is the second book in the epic interstellar War Dogs trilogy from master of science fiction, Greg Bear....more

Community Reviews

This is the second volume in the War Dogs series. We're still following Michael Venn (Vinnie) after his return from Mars. When last we saw him, he had been "interviewed" by a woman and then had to leave abruptly. Here, he is in a government / Guru facility, under quarantine, and getting antsy. There seems to be some kind of contamination they are suspecting (in him as much as his comrades they managed to also apprehend).When the orders are given to execute him, he manages to escape and learns thThis is the second volume in the War Dogs series. We're still following Michael Venn (Vinnie) after his return from Mars. When last we saw him, he had been "interviewed" by a woman and then had to leave abruptly. Here, he is in a government / Guru facility, under quarantine, and getting antsy. There seems to be some kind of contamination they are suspecting (in him as much as his comrades they managed to also apprehend).When the orders are given to execute him, he manages to escape and learns that not all of humanity is just accepting the Gurus' orders and explanations anymore. Thus, we're soon back on Mars and then even on Titan to find out what the hell is going on.

We're still not much closer to knowing who/what the hell the Gurus are but we do know (view spoiler)[that they indeed instigated this war and that they have to keep us ignorant if they want their plan to succeed (hide spoiler)]. Which is also a big WHY, explaining (view spoiler)[the orders to kill anyone who might know the slightet thing about the memory bank on Mars (hide spoiler)].

The whole idea surrounding the alien civilisation encountered in book one was a bit trippy (just like what the green dust did to Venn and others) but also pretty cool. (view spoiler)[I mean, uploading dead creatures' minds to have a huge library-like databank is brilliant (hide spoiler)]! Just like the (view spoiler)[flashbacks to the other alien's life that Venn was shown (hide spoiler)]. However, the explanation (view spoiler)[that the Gurus need someone to fight in a war for simple entertainment reasons (hide spoiler)] was a bit weak in my opinion as I don't see why anyone would go to such lengths for so little benefit.

Add to that the fact that some things simply didn't add up - I'm not talking about the WHY and WHAT as we (by design) still don't have all the details. I'm talking about the characters. Like, why the hell (view spoiler)[did Venn suddenly have such intense feelings for the Martian girl that he even thought about kids and marriage (hide spoiler)]? And then, as soon as he was (view spoiler)[so strongly infatuated that he even tried to punch his way through some other Skyrines (hide spoiler)], he was almost indifferent again, instead focusing on (view spoiler)[other females, any females - like a teenager (hide spoiler)]?!I also didn't like the author constantly said crabs are bugs. Crabs are crustacians and it is proven scientific knowledge that those are NOT the same as bugs any more than whales are the same as fish. *sighs* It's details like this that can really throw me off, especially when the person making such silly claims was first introduced as a well-read person!

However, the tech and the action (combat as much as the race for access to one of the "libraries") were pretty great and I was on the edge of my seat once again and will continue with book 3 tomorrow already so there is definitely something about the author's writing style that keeps me engaged. Thus, once again, "only" 3.5 stars but I'll round up as I did for the first book.

Edit: After finishing the trilogy, I'm down-rating because ... no....more

I don't think I'll ever call this the best Space Opera mil-SF I've ever read, but it DOES have its moments. The fighting is quite a treat, in fact, as was the cool alien tech, the tea, the crystals, and all the reasons and purposes around them.

On the surface, it may appear very familiar to the SF trope world, but Bear digs deeper and serves up some really great and classy, mind-trip stuff. Oh, my uploadable universe. :) Taking the data stores of Eon and ramping it up big time.

On the other hand,I don't think I'll ever call this the best Space Opera mil-SF I've ever read, but it DOES have its moments. The fighting is quite a treat, in fact, as was the cool alien tech, the tea, the crystals, and all the reasons and purposes around them.

On the surface, it may appear very familiar to the SF trope world, but Bear digs deeper and serves up some really great and classy, mind-trip stuff. Oh, my uploadable universe. :) Taking the data stores of Eon and ramping it up big time.

On the other hand, I'm caught between treating this as lite-fare popcorn fiction with alien discovery elements showered with military action, moving out to the reaches of Titan. Did I already say I love the alien stuff? Well, I did, and the BIG QUESTION about the Guru's, those guys giving us tech and telling us to go fight this battle, became a bit clearer.

Too bad about the fallout of a little bit of information, right?

What didn't I like?

Well... some of the character stuff was a bit confusing or overblown, almost like the MC was under a drug haze, and that IS the big question here. Between the Tea, all the artifact stuff AND the Guru stuff they threw into the soldiers, it's slightly confusing. Is it coming from him, other's memories, mind-conditioning, or just plain post-traumatic stress disorder?

And then there's the thing about me and Mil-SF in general. I like it somewhat, but not always and I have to be in a mood for it. Is it me or is it this book?

Still, overall, as an SF, it was average-to-good. This trilogy is probably going to be at the bottom of the list for must-read Greg Bear, unfortunately, but as for popcorn, I'm okay with it....more

Three stars? Four? Can't decide.There's a lot of futzing around on Mars as Bear sets the scene. I suppose it's necessary so Bear can (view spoiler)[gradually build up Venn's confusion and his need to get used to the voices he hears. (hide spoiler)]. FInally they're on their way to Titan, and we know that (view spoiler)[ there may be more than two sides to this war. (hide spoiler)].

Others have tackled what it might be like to move around on Titan, and this is similar. Perhaps Bear relies a littlThree stars? Four? Can't decide.There's a lot of futzing around on Mars as Bear sets the scene. I suppose it's necessary so Bear can (view spoiler)[gradually build up Venn's confusion and his need to get used to the voices he hears. (hide spoiler)]. FInally they're on their way to Titan, and we know that (view spoiler)[ there may be more than two sides to this war. (hide spoiler)].

Others have tackled what it might be like to move around on Titan, and this is similar. Perhaps Bear relies a little too much on the "caps" and the super-smart nanomachinery to get plot snags out of the way; but if he didn't we'd get badly bogged down in hard, hard science.

And the crisis builds as the reader sees the number of remaining pages dwindling. And, unfortunately, we get a classic ending of the "he was once again in the clutches of Ming the Merciless! TO BE CONTINUED" endings. At this point, though, we DO see at last what's been going on. Next book will tell us how it all turns out.

Part 2 of 3 and you need to read part 1 to understand Killing Titan. It is a nice job and well written, but it is certainly not a stand alone. Once again Greg Bear writes a deceptively complex novel within a simplistic style of prose and if you are either a Greg Bear fan or military science fiction fan, you will enjoy the work. Greg Bear has captured both the frustration and resignation of active troops on a mission they do not understand or even explained to them. I enjoyed Killing Titan and wiPart 2 of 3 and you need to read part 1 to understand Killing Titan. It is a nice job and well written, but it is certainly not a stand alone. Once again Greg Bear writes a deceptively complex novel within a simplistic style of prose and if you are either a Greg Bear fan or military science fiction fan, you will enjoy the work. Greg Bear has captured both the frustration and resignation of active troops on a mission they do not understand or even explained to them. I enjoyed Killing Titan and will read part 3. ...more

A lot of our pov character talking at us the reader. A lot less plot in this one than in book one. And the last third of the book just felt completely incoherent. Finishing this book was a slog. The ideas were still good but they were well hidden. Definitely didn't feel worth reading.

Killing Titan is much more lucid than its predecessor, War Dogs. Sky-rine Master Sergeant Venn is rescued from the institution that is holding him and returned to Mars where the multi-species war continues. Venn's biggest struggle is to remain alive and sane.

A solid second entry in the War Dogs trilogy. This one shifted from a Starship Trooper arc to more of a galactic space opera with overtones of Ridley Scott's Prometheus but with some heavy, hard science descriptions of Mars and the Jovian Moons. Nevertheless, it never loses its feel of a story of a space marine "grunt's" perspective of combat. A treat for Greg Bear fans and lovers of "hard" science fiction.

Good read in this second book of the trilogy but found some of the descriptions to be hard to grasp. I'm used to Bears style of prose but it made the reading a chore at points. Still optimistic that the finale will be good. Solid sci-if.

I definitely appreciate the escalation. The first book in this trilogy, looking back, has a lot of setup and not a great deal of payoff. Here, we get tons of payoff, and when the novel ends, you're left surprised and worried and excited for what comes next.

I will say, though, that this book doesn't read very "sci-fi" to me. I know that sounds weird, but it's playing with so many generic (as in typical of the genre) tropes, without feeling like a hard science fiction novel like I'm used to when II definitely appreciate the escalation. The first book in this trilogy, looking back, has a lot of setup and not a great deal of payoff. Here, we get tons of payoff, and when the novel ends, you're left surprised and worried and excited for what comes next.

I will say, though, that this book doesn't read very "sci-fi" to me. I know that sounds weird, but it's playing with so many generic (as in typical of the genre) tropes, without feeling like a hard science fiction novel like I'm used to when I read Greg Bear. There are aliens, but they have a surprising (or kinda obvious) connection to humans. The benevolent race of super-intelligent aliens who have been helping humans out turn out to have ulterior motives. Ya don't say! There's even the somewhat cliche concept of (view spoiler)[humans discovering that they are being manipulated purely for the amusement of a higher life form (hide spoiler)]. And yet there's really nothing about the technology, or how all of this works in a practical, science-y kind of way. I'm not even complaining about that, since I'm not a big fan of hard sci-fi, but it just strikes me as weird. It's like this book has all the trappings of science fiction without the follow-through.

I could do without most of the characters, they just kind of bore me, but the concepts and the story are keeping me really compelled. I genuinely want to know how this all turns out!...more

War is confusion. Battles are chaos. The grunt doesn't know the where or why, he only does and dies. At least this grunt is important, and gets glimpses of something important about the story of his world and why they are fighting the unknowable Antags. But he is still pulled without choice, back to Mars and on to Titan, following orders, following the directions of his superiors. I think Greg Bear captures well what it means to be a grunt, what it means to be a soldier, a "Skyrine." Marines areWar is confusion. Battles are chaos. The grunt doesn't know the where or why, he only does and dies. At least this grunt is important, and gets glimpses of something important about the story of his world and why they are fighting the unknowable Antags. But he is still pulled without choice, back to Mars and on to Titan, following orders, following the directions of his superiors. I think Greg Bear captures well what it means to be a grunt, what it means to be a soldier, a "Skyrine." Marines are notorious for following orders without questions, like their brainwashing...er...I mean...training... is just better than other military branches. But it needs to be. Hesitation can get you or or battle buddies killed. And so Venn, the grunt, goes where he needs to go. He may not want to understand, but others need to know, and what they find is important, so they might finally stop fighting in an unwinnable war....more

Took some time to get back into this story line as I last read War Dogs in 2014 or 2015.

Greg Bear excels at world and story building and I like how the story is told from Master Sergeant Vin's point of view. Coherent - incoherent, dreamlike - realistic; Bear excels at switching between styles seemingly at random. While it might take a while for unfamiliar readers to get used to it, or put them off entirely, this style definitely does an excellent job at creating the mysterious environment surrouTook some time to get back into this story line as I last read War Dogs in 2014 or 2015.

Greg Bear excels at world and story building and I like how the story is told from Master Sergeant Vin's point of view. Coherent - incoherent, dreamlike - realistic; Bear excels at switching between styles seemingly at random. While it might take a while for unfamiliar readers to get used to it, or put them off entirely, this style definitely does an excellent job at creating the mysterious environment surrounding the Antags and the Gurus.

While War Dogs was more of a war novel, this book focuses a lot more on the people-people interactions that arise from the tense and confusing situations that the characters often find themselves in.

All in all, a solid read that leaves the reader wanting for more....more

While I enjoyed this-- Bear once again shows his adept ability to describe wildly non-earthlike environs and their likely impacts on human beings-- I was a bit disappointed: this is the middle act of a three act play. As a result, while it moves the narrative along, it ultimately fails to satisfy the questions raised in the first novel (novella?).

I came away feeling as though, at the very least, this and the subsequent "Take Back the Sky" would have been better served collected into a single novWhile I enjoyed this-- Bear once again shows his adept ability to describe wildly non-earthlike environs and their likely impacts on human beings-- I was a bit disappointed: this is the middle act of a three act play. As a result, while it moves the narrative along, it ultimately fails to satisfy the questions raised in the first novel (novella?).

I came away feeling as though, at the very least, this and the subsequent "Take Back the Sky" would have been better served collected into a single novel. The last quarter of the near-400 pages is an "excerpt" from the third book in the series, suggesting the same. I'm sure that was purely a publishing decision over which Bear had little control, but it was annoying.

That said, I enjoyed the story and expect to enjoy the third, as well....more

This book has a bad case of "middle-chapter-itis." The first book worked as a stand alone story, but this really doesn't, as there is no ending at all: the story simply stops, to be picked up and given an actual conclusion in the third volume.

It's Bear, so he's going to be interesting, but this doesn't feel quite as taut as War Dogs did. Also, it gets a bit bogged down in developments that are necessary for the plot to move forward but don't make a whole lot of sense from the characters' point oThis book has a bad case of "middle-chapter-itis." The first book worked as a stand alone story, but this really doesn't, as there is no ending at all: the story simply stops, to be picked up and given an actual conclusion in the third volume.

It's Bear, so he's going to be interesting, but this doesn't feel quite as taut as War Dogs did. Also, it gets a bit bogged down in developments that are necessary for the plot to move forward but don't make a whole lot of sense from the characters' point of view....more

Really loved the first book, some great ideas and some great enigmas ready for a big reveal somewhere down the line. This book teases with those enigmas, but ultimately the plot seems to lose its way on the way to Titan. The almost casual way in which some of the supporting cast die serves to divorce you from feeling any connection with those that remain. I ploughed straight from this into the 3rd book and found that even more disappointing, but more on that in a later review.

In my review of the first book in the War Dogs trilogy I said I'd give the next two book 3 stars, but since posting that I've had second thoughts. Killing Titan is the 2nd in the series and it is just so different than the first book -- hard to follow, characters not nearly as well developed - just disappointing.

This was so bad. The whole book felt like the anteroom for something big, but when you finally arrive at the main attraction, the book is over. And the main attraction, the “big twist” was a joke. It was so unoriginal, I cannot begin to compare. The atmosphere of the book is grim and pessimistic and I was fed up with it right from the beginning.

Killing Titan is the middle book in Bear's War Dogs trilogy. I read the first books 6 months ago and the gap did not help picking up the thread of the story. I just seemed that it jumped in where the last one left off and I never really picked it up again. As I have the 3rd book I will read it, but try not to leave such a gap between books.

The groundwork laid in 'War Dogs' gets picked up and you're whisked off on a whirlwind of discovery. It's fantastic the way Bear leads his characters down this path, every step another shock to their sanity and perception of reality as they keep working to achieve their mission goals (which become more and more unclear every day).

Published 2015. Second in the "War Dog" series. A bit draggier than the first. Still has some interesting moments and suggestions for the third book which I will now need to read to see how this all comes out.

Greg Bear is one of the world's leading hard SF authors. He sold his first short story, at the age of fifteen, to Robert Lowndes's Famous Science Fiction.

A full-time writer, he lives in Washington State with his family. He is married to Astrid Anderson Bear. He is the son-in-law of Poul Anderson. They are the parents of two children, Erik and Alexandra.